Haiti Couleurs Delights With Newbury Comeback Win

Haiti Couleurs delighted in the best tune-up for a prospective tilt at the Betfair Chase when making a winning reappearance in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Newbury.


Rebecca Curtis' Cheltenham Festival and Irish Grand National hero was dispatched at 17-2 in the hands of Sean Bowen for his return over the smaller sized challenges and his stamina came to the fore in the closing phases, as the champ jockey outbattled his bro James Bowen aboard runner-up Bill Baxter.


Britain's shortest-priced contender for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Haiti Couleurs holds an entry for the Coral Gold Cup back at Newbury on November 29, however Curtis is tempted to divert to a week earlier with her star chaser.


Curtis told Sky Sports Racing: "I'm not extremely surprised he won as I understood he was actually well and had enhanced from in 2015.


"I hoped he would run among those races where you end up in the first 5, however watching him go round I understood he was going to win due to the fact that of the way he was taking a trip and you understand he remains.


"He ran hurdles off 135 in 2015 and was beaten, but he's won off 10lb higher here, so it looks like he has actually enhanced."


Haiti Couleurs made a winning return at Newbury (David Davies/PA)


One what follows, she added: "There's advantages and disadvantages to both races, our primary aim was the Coral Gold Cup but it's excellent to company here today on the chase track and looking at the forecast they are not due too much rain here next week.


"He'll enter into that off top-weight probably and Dan's (Skelton, Protektorat and Grey Dawning) ranked higher will not run.


"The Betfair Chase is actually appealing, I know it's just two and a half weeks away but he's the type of horse you can get away with doing that with and he will be fresh on Monday early morning.


"I will chat to the owners and decide what they want to do, but I would be siding that way now. You would hope he might be a Gold Cup horse, however I'm not going to press him down that road if he's not to that level.


"I enjoy the way he has actually improved and you have actually seen how difficult he is and he remains so well. He can go a good gallop and those are all the things you need for a Gold Cup, so we will see, it's amazing."


Haiti Couleurs may not be returning to Newbury on 'Hennessy day' but one who could is Harry Derham's Jackie Hobbs after making a winning hurdles launching in the CSP Mares' Novices' Hurdle as the 13-8 favourite.


A helpful bumper entertainer last term, she was handed a quote of 20-1 by Paddy Power for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, however in the instant she could contest the Listed Play Coral "Racing-Super-Series" Mares' Novices' Hurdle.


Derham said: "She was great and I thought it was quite a deep race. The thing I was most pleased about was how well she jumped and she remains 2 miles well, so Paul (O'Brien) desired to make lots of use of her.


"He stated she had a real excellent blow from the back of three out, so you would like to think she would enhance plenty and she's a very nice mare and one to anticipate.


"Coming back to Newbury is a guaranteed option as long as she comes out of this all right and remains in great kind - we would certainly consider it.


"It would be good to end up in a race like the Jane Seymour at Sandown later in the year, however it's great to overcome the first hurdle today and it will be nice making strategies with her from here."


Anthony Honeyball's Lord Baddesley (6-4) came home in splendid seclusion to win the Daily Racing Boosts At BetVictor Handicap Chase, while the concluding British Horse Society Open National Hunt Flat Race went the method of Chris Gordon's 13-8 favourite Bass Hunter.